Defending Champions Germany succumb to the Champions Curse

Reigning World Champions headed into their match with South Korea knowing that they needed to steal three points to overcome the champions curse and secure their place in the last-16. However, with two late goals from South Korea and Mexico being thumped 3-0 by Sweden, the Germans crash out of the World Cup at the group stages for the first time in their history. 

Germany entered the tournament with a track-record of reaching at least the Semi-Finals of major tournaments since 2008. So, it was only logic that led many to believe that they would overcome their stuttering start and thrash South Korea like any other German team. 

Germany started the game in identical fashion to their previous games, by dominating possession but failing to create any clear-cut chances. They looked like a team with no game plan, who was just sent out and expected to come back with a result. Timo Werner’s performance was a prime example of this as the striker played on the left flank for the majority of the game and looked out of his depth as his only 6 of his 23 touches of the ball came inside the box. 

As news came to the German bench that Sweden were leading Mexico 2-0, Joachim Low brought on veterans Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller to inject some life into the team’s gameplay. Seamlessly the players blended in with the rest of the squad as they failed to make the slightest of impact on the game. 

VAR soon intervened to provide the Germans with a fatal blow as it showed Toni Kroos to be the villain who kept Kim Young-Gwon onside when he lashed home from a corner. The German players then awoke from the dead as they showed glimpses of their expertise that led them to lift the trophy only four years ago. This was, however,  be too little too late as the arrogance of German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer led to him to be caught in possession in the opposition half, leaving his net vulnerable. A long ball over the top was met by Spurs Winger Son Heung-Min who tapped the ball into the empty net. 

Despite Germany’s downfall being unexpected, there was signs that this was a different team with no sense of direction. They used more players than any other European side during qualification meaning that Low was unsure of what his strongest line-up was. The manager then made a few audacious decisions before the tournament by leaving out Leroy Sane, who was involved in 33 goals for Manchester City last season and then starting Manuel Neuer in goal when he hadn’t played a competitive match since September. 

With only Werner, Neuer and Kroos starting all three group games, a contagious level of uncertainty entered the squad. The player’s performances mirrored this as Low’s bold choices began to backfire. 

Whether it was poor management or just sheer arrogance that led the mechanically constructed Germans to malfunction, they have now yielded to the Champions Curse. They join the likes of France (2002), Italy (2010) and Spain (2014) by signing off their World Cup defense by being eliminated in group stages in embarrassing fashion.